Track for use in furnaces



April 8, 1930. STANB'ERY ET AL 1,753,220

TRACK FOR USE IN FURNACES Filed Feb. 4, 1929 5 SEE; INVENTORS A J JT/i/YBE/W ATTORNEY,

Patented Apr. 8, 1930 UNITED STATES, PATENT OFFICE LLOYD J. STANBERY AND NELSON -'I.. BRANCHE, 0F TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOBS TO THE SURFACE COMBUSTION COMPANY, INC., OF TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF I NEW YORK Application filed February 4, 1929. Serial No. 337,481.

This invention relates to improvements in work-supporting skids or tracks for use in industrial furnaces.

It is an object of the invention to provide a track which shall be so constructed as to permit proper cooling thereof with minimum abstraction of heat from the heating chamber. Another object is to provide a track of such construction that the work-supporting rail thereof may expand lengthwise of its cooling element without causing upward bowing of thetrack as a whole due to the unequal expansion between the rail and its cooling element. Other objects will more fully appear hereinafter.

In accordance with this invention, the track includes a tube through which cooling water may be passed and a longitudinally extending rail secured to the tube in a manner to permit longitudinal expansion of the rail with respect to the tube, the rail consisting of individual sections each of which is secured between its ends to the tube as by a weld. To minimize. the abstraction of heat from the heating chamber, the exposed portion of the tube is covered with refractory insulating material, the material being held in place in a novel manner hereinafter described.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference is made to the detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein the preferred construction of the track is shown.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan 7' view of a furnace showing the work-supporting tracks or skids extending lengthwise thereof, the top of the furnace being removed.

Fig. 2 is a transverse cross section of the furnace shown in Fig. 1, an ingot or billet being shown supported on the tracks.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the improvedtrack with a .fragment in elevation, the view being on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the track shown in Fig. 4, the inner or water supply being omitted.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the skid with part of the heat-insulating jacket broken away to show the lattice construction which I TRACK FOR USE IN FURNACES serves to hold the jacket in place about the tube. Fig. 6 is a plan view-of a modified form of expansion joint for the track.

In the drawings, 7 indicates the side walls Openings 0, O at opposite ends of the furnace provide for ingress and egress of the work such as ingots or billets W to be heated. The tracks are generally indicated at 10 and may be supported in any suitable manner as on a series of cross supports 11 supported by the furnace side walls and central piers 12.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 3, 4, and 5, each track consists of a tube 15 on which is supported a rail 16 consisting of a series of rail sections separated from each other by expansion joints 1'? of any preferred type as for example gaps 17 as shown in Figs. 3 and 5 or sliding joints 17 as shown in Fig. 6. The undersurface of each rail section conforms with that of the tube in order to form a good thermal connection the'rebetween. Each rail section is held in position on the tube by a relatively short we'ld 18 between the ends of the section. The weld is made sufiiciently long to firmly secure the viously assisting in keeping the rail longitudinally alined with the axis of the tube. It will now be readily appreciated that those portions of the rail sections on either side of the weld are free to expand longitudinally of the tube and that by reason of said construction, there will belittle if any tendency of the track as a whole to bow out of alinement because of the tube being relatively cooler than the rail.

The manner of securing the heat-insulating jacket about the exposed portion of tube 15 will now be described. The jacket itself is indicated at 20 and encases the tube from one side to the other of the rail, the top or plastic refractory material may be forced work contacting portion thereof being left bare. The anchorage for the jacket consists of a lattice through the meshes of which into contact with the tube. Y The lattice itself may be of any suitable form. In order to space the lattice from the tube thereis provided a series of split rings 21 the ends of which seat in holes or depressions formed in the sides of the rail, the lattice being preferably spot welded to the rings. To more securely hold the lattice and split rings in place, there is spirally wound about the lattice work a wire 22 which passes through a series of transverse holes in the rail. The jacket is, of course, made sufliciently thick to co letely embed the lattice. It is preferred o leave the surface of the jacket relatively rough since a smooth surfacetends to cause cracks when drying. 3

The rail 16 will preferably consist of a heat-resisting alloy as will also the anchorage for the insulating jacket. Since the rail is in good thermal relation with the tube by reason of the close contact therebetween, the heat absorbed by the rail will be readily taken up by the cooling water in the tube. The Water may be circulated through the tube 15 in any preferred or suitable manner as for example by a tube 23 positioned within the tube 15. I Various changes inconstruction may obviousl be made without departin from the spir1t of the invention, and no limitations are intended except as may be defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is: L,

1. A track for use in furnacescomprising a rail, a support for the rail havin a passage for cooling medium extending engthwise thereof, and a heat-insulating 'acket encas: ing the rail except for the work contacting portion thereof.

2. A track for use in furnaces comprising a cooling tube, a rail extending axially of the tube in thermal connection therewith, and aheat-insulating jacket encasing the exposed portionxofthe tube. a

3. A track for use 1n furnaces comprising a cooling tube and a rail extending lengthwise of and in thermal connection with the tube, the continuity of the rail being interi inthermal connection'with the tube, the con-- pansion joints, and the rail sections intermediate their ends being welded to the tube.

6. A track for use in furnaces comprising a cooling tube, a rail extending axially of the tube in thermal connection therewlth, a lattice spaced from and surrounding the tube except where itis in thermal connection with the rail, and a heat insulator secured about the tube by said lattice. 1

7. A trackfor use in furnaces comprising a cooling'tube, a rail extending axially of the tube in thermal connection therewith, a lattice curved about the tube, meansfor securing the lattice to the rail, and aheatinsulating material anchored to the lattice.

8. A track for use infurnaces comprising a rail, a cooling tube" on which therail is seated, a series of split rings the ends of which are seated in the rail, a lattice secured to said rings, and a refractory body in which 

